Duplicating apparatus



Jan. 11, 1938. A. MARCH EV ET'AL DUPLICATING" APPARATUS FiledMay s, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 11, 1938.

A. MARCHEV ET AL DUPLICATING APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet l l I I l I l l II &

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A. MARCHEV ET AL DUPLICATING APPARATUS Filed May 8, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 J?! Me 2: 20 715-" 4m 0 MM H? Patented Jan. 11, 1938 umrs'n STATES PATENT OFFICE DUPLICATING APPARATUS Alfred Marchev, La orange, 11]., and Verlin M. Leach, Ruahvilie, Ind. aaaignors to Ditto, 1n-

corporated Vir inia Chicago, 111., a corporation of West v.The present invention relates to duplicating apparatus, and more particularly to trays for pcsitioning copy sheets to be fed to a duplicating machine.

cating machine of the hectograph type. However, it is not limited thereto and may be used in connection with any tray for guiding and positioning sheets for a duplicating machine. One form of the invention is embodied in a device of the character describedflwhich comprises a copy sheet tray adapted to be mounted on a duplicating machine in such relation to the duplicating apparatus that the sheets positioned 15 on the tray are fed to the duplicator after being positioned by the tray. The tray contains oppo'sitely disposed guides which may be adjusted for different widths of sheets. In addition; the tray has mounted thereon a plurality of guides 20 which are normally depressed below the surface of the tray when not used. The depressed guides areindividually operable by pressing a button or lever to lift the selected guide above the surface of the tray.

25 The present invention is particularly adaptable to those duplicating operations in which the copy sheets may be in narrow strips of different widths which require their positioning at different points crosswise of the platen. One purpose of the in- 80 vention is to provide a tray of the character described vwith a novel guide structure by which the operator can quickly select the necessary guides to properly position a copy sheet of narrow width with respectto the matter to be duplicated.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more" readily from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a. preferred form of the invention is shown.

40 In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a view in side elethe hectograph type, showing the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the paper tray, taken 45 substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view like Fig. 3, but showin a changed position of the parts; 50 Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-! of Fig. 2, certain parts being left out for the sakeof clearness;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line H ofFlg. 3;

Fig. 'l is a front view similar to Fig.2, but with Fig. '1; The apparatus is shown as applied to a dupli vation of a portion of a duplicating machine of a a portion of the tray broken away and-illustrat ing a modifledform of the invention;

-Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8-8 of F1 9 is a sectional view, taken on the line 5 0-9 of Fig. '1; 7

Fig. 10 is a sectional view, taken on the line Ill-i! of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line "-4 I of Fig. 8, with the parts ina 0 changed position from that shown in Fig. 10.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the presentinvention is shown as applied to a duplicating machineof the hectograph type, having a platen III, on which a duplicating band H is stretched. The dupli- 1 eating machine has a margin bar I! which receives the sheets through a trough 13 from a tray ii. A platen roller i5 is adapted to press the sheets into contact with the surface of the duplicating band I. A stack of sheets may be mounted upon a platform It in front of the trough l3, and, in feeding the sheets, they are positioned. by the tray 14 so as to be properly aligned with the duplicating surface of the band II. p The tray M is fixed to the duplicating machine by a pair of brackets l1 and it, which are secured by bolts to downturned flanges l9 and "at the opposite ends of: the" tray I4. The brackets l1 and is are pivoted by a pair of' pins 21 and 22 to side frames 23 and 24 of the duplicating machine. The tray can thus be turned about the pivots 2| and 22 from the position shown in Fig. 1, to a position in which it overlies the platform IS. A rubber cushion member 25 is secured on the bracket H by a stud 28 and rests upon the side frame 23 when the tray is in the position shown in Fig. 1. Y A similar cushion member 21 is secured to the bracket I! by a stud 28 and is adapted to rest upon the side frame 24.

The tray It has a flange 29 at its loweredge, 40.

and a flange 30 at its upper edge. The side flanges it and 20 of the tray ii are connected by a tie rod Ii, which is securedto the side flanges 1 by screws 22 and a. The tie rod 3| is utilized as a guide fora pair of sheet guiding members a 5 and I. The member 34 comprises a top plate 38 extending all the way across the tray ll and having an upturned flange 3'! along one edge thereof. On the under side of the plate 36, there are provided two felt cushions 38 and 39, one near 50 the upper edge of the'tray l4, and the other near the lower edge of the'tray. The plate 36 at its upper end has a flange 40 turned down parallel to theflange ll of the tray II. The flange i0 is connected by a screw ll, having a knurled head 5 42, to an upturned end portion 43 of a guide bar 44. The bar 44 has upturned ears 46 and 46 which are slidably mounted on the tie rod 3|. By sliding the ears '46 and 46 along the tie rod, a lateral adjustment of the plate 36 and its guiding flange 31 may be accomplished. In order to hold the plate 36 in adjusted position, the flange 46, and the end portion 43 of the member 44, are bent so as to be directed at a slightangle to each other, and the screw 4| is threaded into the end portion 43, so that the tightening of the screw 4| will tend to draw the flange 46 into parallelism with the end portion 43, and this in turn tends to press the plate 36 tightly against the tray l4. f

In some cases where the sheets being fed are long, it is desirable to have an upward extension above the tray I4 to support the sheets. The plate 36 is provided with a bar 41, which is secured by a pin 46 to the plate 36 near the upper edge thereof. The pin 46 extends through the plate 36, and a spring 46'is mounted under com pression on the pin 46. A washer 66 presses the spring upwardly against the under side of the plate 36, and a pin 6| holds the washer 66 in place. When the operator is using long sheets, he merely turns the bar 41 about the pin 46 until it projects above the tray I4.

The member 36 is constructed in detail exactly like the member 34, except that the member 36 V hasits upstanding flange 62 on the opposite side,

. another.

andits bar 63 is also on the opposite side, so that the flanges of the sheet guiding members are on the outside. The members 34 and 36 are too difqlcult in adjustment to make them readily adaptable for positioning narrow strips, or for chan ing quickly from one width of sheet to In order to. provide for quick and accurate adjustments to severaidiflerent widths of sheets, the tray I4 is provided with readily retractable guides 64, which can be raised above the surface of the tray by simply pressing upon a lever 66. As shown, there are four of the guides 64, although, of course, the number may I be increased or decreased within the scope of the present invention. The tray I4 is provided with four spaced slots through which the guides '64 work, and the controlling mechanism for the guides is all mounted beneath the surface of the tray l4, in order to leave it unobstructed. A pair of Z-shaped brackets 66 andv 61 aresecured to which the levers 66 and 63 are mounted is shown in detail in Fig. 6. Two collars 64 and 66 are keyed on the rod 62 by pins 66 and 61, respectively. The collar 64 has a reduced portion 66 on the side toward the collar 66, and the collar 66 has a similar reduced portion 66, which abuts the reduced portion 66. Thelevers 66 and 63 are pivotally mounted upon the reduced portions 66 and 69 of the collars. The levers 66 and the lever 63 are connected to the tie rod 6| by individual springs I6, which tend to turn the levers in a counterclockwise direction about the tie rod 62.

The tie rod 66 is adapted to engage a depending portion II on each of the guides 64, and limit the tray 4. .upper position, the latch bar I6 is drawn by the spring 'I'I into the notch I4 so as to latch the arouses top surface of the tray. Each guide 64 has a.

tongue I2 punched out of the side thereof, which tongue is adapted to engage the under surface of the tray l4 and limit the upward movement of the guide 64. The lever 63 has an extension I3, which is similar in shape to the depending portion Ii, and which is adapted to engage the tie rod 66 to limit the counterclockwise movement of the lever 63. The depending portions II of the guides 64 are provided with notches 14 at their free ends and, in addition, they have camming surfaces at I6. The notches I4 and the camming surfaces I6 cooperate-with a latch bar I6 that is pivoted in the brackets 66 and,6'| to latch the guides 64 in raised position when they are lifted by pressure on the levers 66. The latch bar I6 is connected :by a spring 'I'I, undentension, to the tie rod 6|. lever 63 has a camming surface I6, which is The extension I3 of the notch corresponding to the notch I4.

In operating, if it is desired to elevate any one of the guides 64, the corresponding lever 66 is pushed down by pressing upon one of the knobs I6 provided on .the levers 66. The pushing down of the lever 66 lifts the corresponding guide 64 until the tongue I2 strikes the lower surface of When the guide is raised into this guide 64v in raised position. en the operator wishes to change the guide to el vate another one of the guides 64, he merely presses the corresponding knobl When the new guide is rising, its camming surface I6 forces the latch bar I6 out of the notch I4 of the guide which is in raised position, and thus permits that guide to return to retracted position, which it will do because of the tension exerted by the spring II. The latch bar I6 will then lock the new guide in raised position by swinging into the notch "I4 thereof. When it is desired to have two of the guides in use at once, as, for example, in the feeding of a very narrow strip between two of the guides, the operator depresses both levers at once. When it is desired to bring all of the guides into retracted position, the operator merely depresses the release lever 63, and the camming surface I6 of its extension I3 will force the latch bar I6 out of the notches I4 of all raised guides, and allow them to return to retracted position.

In Figs. 7 to 11 inclusive, a modified form of the invention is shown, in which the individual guides may be raised individually, without releasing the guides that are already in elevated position. In

this form of the invention, the guides 64, their levers 66, and the associated operating mechanism, including the release lever 63, remain substantially the same as in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 6. In the modified form of the invention, a rock shaft 66 is pivotally mounted in the brackets 66' and 61. Alongside of each of the depending portions II of the guides 64, the rock shaft 66 has a pin 6|. The pins mount latch bars 62, which are bent around the shaft 66, and provided .with elongated slots 63 and 64, which permit of a limited rocking movement of the latch bars 62 upon the shaft 66. The depending portions II of the guides 64 are provided with tongues 66, which are turned at right angles to the guides 64 into the paths of the latch members 32. On each latch member 62, a shoulder is provided at 66, which is adapted to engage under the tongue 66, so as to provide an addi- 7 tional latch to hold the guide Slain raised position. The shoulder 86 is formed by the upper end of the latch member 82. A plate 81 is secured on the latch member 82 and projects above the shoulder 86, so as to form a stop which limits the clockwise movement of the latch member 82 when it isholding the guide 54 in raised position. Springs 88 connect each'of the latch members 82 to thetierod 6|.

The release lever 63 has no connection with the rock shaft 80, but an auxiliary release lever 39 is pivoted'on the tie rod 62 and has an extension 90 which is adapted to engage a release arm 9| that is keyed to the shaft 330. The release arm 9| has no play upon the shaft 80, but moves directly with it. Now, when it is desired to lift any one of the guides 54, the operator presses down upon the corresponding lever 55, and the guidefwhen lifted, will be held in raised position by the latch bar 16 engaging in the notch 14. In addition, the individual latch member 82, associated with the depending portion 1| of the raised guide, will en gage the corresponding tongue 85. Then, if the operator desires later to lift a second guide, to cooperate with the first guide raised, he merely depresses the lever for the guide he desires to lift, and it in turn will be latched in raised position by the bar 16 and the individual latch bar 82 associated with it The bar 16 will, of course, release the first raised lever. However, the individual latch bar 82 will hold the first raised a lever in raised position. The tongue 85, upon the guide being raised, will rock its corresponding latch lever 82 in a counterclockwise direction, but

- not to a sufllcient degree to cause the shaft 80 to rock the lever 82, holding the raised guide, sumciently to release it. When it is desired to release the raised guides, then both the release lever 63,

,and the auxiliary release lever 89, are depressed.

This releases the latch bar 16 from holding position and turns all of the individual latch levers 82 far enough in a counterclockwise direction to release them from the corresponding tongues 85.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as disclosed in the appended claims, in. which it is our intention to claim all novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as possible in view of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a duplicating machine, a. sheet positioning tray, a sheet guide on said tray, said guide being movable from a functionally inoperative position below the sheet receiving surface of said tray to a functionally operative position where it projects above said surface.

2. In a duplicating machine, a sheet positioning tray, a sheet guide on said tray, said guide being movable from a functionally inoperative position below the sheet receiving surface of said tray to a functionally operative position where it projects above said surface, said tray having a slot below the sheet receiving surface of said tray to a functionally operative position where it projects above said surface, a lever for lifting said guide,

position.

4. In a duplicating machine, a sheet positioning tray, a sheet guide on said tray, said guide being movable from a functionally inoperative position below the sheet receiving surface of said tray to a. functionally operative position where it projects above said surface,-s'aid tray having a slot therein and said guide being positioned in said slot, and latch means for holding the guide raised above the tray surface.

5. In a duplicating machine, a sheet positioning tray, 9. sheet guide on said tray, said guide being movable from a. functionally inoperative position below the sheet receiving surface of said tray to a functionally operative position where it projects above said surface, and latch means for holding the guide raised above the tray surface.

6. In a duplicating machine, a sheet positioning tray, a sheet guide on said tray, said guide being movable fr om a functionally inoperative position 1 ing tray, said tray having a plurality of spaced sheet guides thereon, said guides being movable through the tray between a functionally inoperative position below the sheet re ceiving surface of said tray and a functionally operative position where they project above said surface.

8. In a duplicating machine, a sheet positioning tray, said tray having a plurality of spaced sheet guides thereon, said guides being movable through the tray between a functionally inoperative position below the sheet receiving surface of said tray and a functionally operative position where they project above said surface, and manually operable levers for lifting said guides to functionally operative position. a

9. In a duplicating machine, a sheet positioning tray, said tray having a plurality-of spaced sheet tion below the sheet receiving surface of said tray and a functionally operative position where they project above said surface, manually operable levers for lifting said guides to a functionally operative. position, and latch means for holding the lifted guides inplace.

10. In a duplicating machine, a sheet positioning tray, said tray having a plurality of spaced sheet guides thereon, said guides being movable through the tray between a functionally inoperative position below the sheet receiving surface of said tray and a functionally operative position where they project above said surface, manually operable levers for lifting said guides to a functionally operative position, and latch means for holding the lifted guides in place, said latch means comprising a latch bar and a trip lever for release ing said latch bar.

11. In a duplicating machine, a sheet positioning tray, said tray having a plurality of spaced sheet guides thereon, said guides being movable through the tray between a functionally inoperative position below the sheet receiving surface of said tray and a functionally operative position where they project above said surface, manually operable levers for lifting said guides to functionally operative position, individual latch means for holding said guides in functionally operative position, and release means for said individual latch means.

12. In a duplicating machine, a sheet positioning tray, said tray having a plurality of spaced sheet guides thereon, said guides being movable through the tray between a functionally inoperative position below the sheet receiving surface of said tray and a functionally operative position where they project above said surface, manually raised position, a trip lever for said latch bar, and 5 release means for said latch members.

ALFRED MARCHEV. VERLIN M. LEACH. 

